This is the 62nd year for Eurovision which was started to bring recently warring European countries together.

This year's contest was hosted by Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and it was not without controversy.

The Associated Press reports:

"Russia's participation was scuttled by host Ukraine over the two nations' diplomatic and military conflict.

"Russia is one of Eurovision's heavy hitters, tied with Sweden for the most top-five finishes this century. But this year's Russian entrant, Yuliya Samoylova, was blocked from competing by Ukraine because she had toured in Crimea after Russia's 2014 annexation of the peninsula.

"In response, Russia's state-owned Channel 1 television is refusing to broadcast the contest, replacing Saturday's final with a screening of the film "Alien."

"The Moscow-Kiev split is a headache for Eurovision's producer, the European Broadcasting Union, which strives mightily to keep pop and politics separate. Overtly political flags and banners are banned, and lyrics are monitored for provocative content.

"In 2009, the EBU nixed the Georgian entry "We Don't Wanna Put In," a dig at Russian President Vladimir Putin. The union, however, has been criticized for not barring "1944" last year, allowing Russia-Ukraine tensions to fester."

Eurovision has a major following, and it has helped to boost the careers of many performers — including Sweden's ABBA which won in 1974 with the song "Waterloo."